The Bioscleave House in East Hampton is for sale, the most uncomfortable and fun house you can imagine.

 

She much insisted on going to visit the famous House, what was to do more than to please her? Had another option? Despite not liking anything the idea of moving so far, had given her so much… that it was not possible to put any excuse, even though she understood it and not protested, should accompany her on this trip, to admire the House Bioscleave in East Hampton, the construction had just go on sale 2.5 million of dollars (2.16 euros).

Julia looked at askance Marta, were seated in the rear of the vehicle of Larry and Sean, two friends who had volunteered to take them to the House. She looked at her with admiration and suspicion, without she not had been able to cross the border illegally already thirty years ago, without she not had been able to move from State to State throughout North America until they reach Long Island, five years ago, where established their residence. Almost at the same time of her arrival she had found work very near her home, at the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists.

According to Marta, Bioscleave House, or «Lifespan Extending Villa», designed by two avant-garde artists called Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa, whose intention was to improve the lives of the people while widened it as much as possible, both have died, the first in 2014 and the second in 2010, were co-founders of Reversible Destiny Foundation, an organization dedicated to the use of architecture to extend the human life, not for nothing, Shusaku was architect and Madeline was philosopher. She still remembered their exhibition at the wonderful Guggenheim: Architectural Body.

Front of the building, remembered something that she read in an article: «the House is the only designed and built to test 50 years of research through this laboratory experimental and provocative», certainly it was provocative, its colorful exterior, applied with some joy, not left undaunted to Julia, still tired from the trip, she could never detach the eyes of the cheerful facade.

The person that awaited for them explained some things, like that the House in reality was two interconnected, covering a total area of 255 square meters. It is distributed in four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a toilet. Although the building in which the House is located was designed in 1960 by architect Carl Koch, a visionary in prefabricated houses are concerned, creator of the Techbuilt system, the current distribution and morphology is a product of the vision of Gins and Arakawa and the reform which took place in the year 1999.

The house belonged to Angela Gallmann, collector of Italian art, commissioned to Madeleine and Shusaku the housing design, it was clear that with very good eye. Later, in 2007, the Professors Group LLC limited liability company, bought the house for 1.25 million dollars (1.08 euros), «so the value has doubled in eleven years huh?» thought Julia with a bit of irony, knew that the market prices always depend on who buys and, rarely, of who sells.

But… how wanted the creators of the House that it will help increase the life expectancy of its users? Therefore, according to the guide, the House stimulates the senses with architectural elements and its characteristics, thus, the main quality is the unexpected, colors, walls, windows, floors, even the light switches are not followed the classic standards that we are accustomed. The idea is the continuous surprise and new experiences for we encourage to leave behind old habits, promoting health and longevity, it is thought that living in this way the immune system will be strengthened.

This is the first work of «Process architecture» built in the United States, a single-family house with a kitchen in the center of the property and a dining room surrounded by steep and uneven floors to the living room and the bedrooms. The housing is attached to a pre-existing house, accessed by a corridor. A basement in the shape of labyrinth leads to the kitchen from the two main gates, to not get bored, are also located in ascending steep slopes.

The building is symmetrical, with four rooms separate and open facing to the center, these rooms are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study. Julia was engrossed watching the bright interior walls painted with vibrant shades contrasting with the opaque walls of the living room, “I can’t believe me that someone can live here”, the concept of house of the protagonist of this post is the same concept of comfort that have the majority: the less effort, the better.

Marta explained that Arakawa and Gins, in their book Architectural Body, had first introduced the term «bioscleave», a term that reflects the intentions of its architecture, its facings (ground and walls) built unexpectedly for keep a person «alert», so that they should actively negotiate even the simplest tasks. The challenge of the senses, as they believed, allows that the body is constantly reconfigured and eventually becomes a means to strengthen the immune system.

Julia was not convinced of the theme and concluded: «Marta, this continues to be the more uncomfortable house that has ever visited, but if you want that we stay here, here we stay, but, the 65 percent of the tasks are for you». Marta laughed of the occurrence and reassured her sister, she had enjoyed the visit but did not consider the idea of moving to a site like that, even though she understood that the both mental and physical activity daily contributes to the general welfare, so, she not excluded to reside in the future in a place like that.